This application claims the priority of German Application No. 10 2006 008 221.4, filed Feb. 22, 2006, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
The invention relates to a method for the input of input data into a vehicle navigation device, by which input data are supplied to the vehicle navigation device via a receive interface and the input data are subjected to a plausibility check.
Currently, mobile CE terminals (mobile telephones, Smart phones, PDAs, etc.) frequently have databanks in which addresses can be stored, for example, in the vcard format. In order to bypass the time-consuming procedure of inputting a destination into the navigation system of a motor vehicle, methods are known which permit the reading of addresses from the address books of the CE terminals into the navigation system by way of suitable data transmission techniques (such a Bluetooth). As a rule, only input data are to be imported in this case, which input data are compatible with a databank of the navigation system or plausible with respect to comparison data stored in the databank. Thus, when address data are supplied, it can, for example, be ensured that the supplied address is indicated in the map material of the navigation system or can be found geographically.
A method of the above-mentioned type is known, for example, from German Patent document DE 199 27 647 A1. Despite the saving of time at least theoretically permitted by such methods when importing navigational destination data from the address book of a mobile device, problems frequently arise when such methods are used in practice. These problems occur when the data supplied by the address book are not compatible or plausible with respect to the databank of the navigation system. If, for example, a supplied address cannot be found in the databank of the navigation system, the plausibility check will have a negative result and the address cannot be imported as a navigation destination. German Patent document DE 199 27 647 A1 discloses no solution for handling input data for which the plausibility check supplies a negative result. Correspondingly, in the case of the known devices and methods, a manual input of the destination data is finally often still necessary. In the worst case, the user may not even notice that the importing of input data was not successful and the input data may be lost completely.
It is an object of the invention to provide a simple method by which the importing of supplied input data in the case of a negative plausibility check will be facilitated.
According to the invention, this object is achieved by a method for the input of input data into a vehicle navigation device, by which input data are supplied to the vehicle navigation device via a receive interface and the input data are subjected to a plausibility check. In the case of a negative plausibility check, a prompt is emitted for correcting the input data. The input data can then be corrected by a user by way of an operating device, and the corrected input data are then imported into the vehicle navigation device. Preferred embodiments or further developments of the invention are described and claimed herein.
According to the invention, in the event of a negative plausibility check, a prompt to correct the input data is emitted to a user, as a rule, typically the driver of the motor vehicle. The user is then provided with the possibility of correcting the input data by way of a suitable operating device. As a result, despite an initially negative plausibility check, the input data can still be imported in a corrected form into the vehicle navigation device.
The prompt for the correction preferably takes place by an explicit textual or symbolic flag. However, this may also take place implicitly by the stressing of data to be corrected. The prompt may also take place in an acoustically or haptically assisted manner, or only acoustically or haptically.
In principle, a correcting mechanism for correcting input data may operate in multiple fashions. Accordingly, the input data may be completely or only partially capable of being corrected by the user. Variants of the invention are preferred in the case of which the correction of the input data by the user can take place at very low expenditures, for example, with a very low number of user actions.
This can be achieved, in particular, when hierarchical data blocks are supplied, for example, by way of a hierarchically structured plausibility check. Thus, the plausibility of hierarchically higher-ranking data, that is, data situated at a hierarchically higher level, is checked first and, if the result of the plausibility check for the higher-ranking data is negative, the user is given the opportunity to correct the higher-ranking data. Only when the higher-ranking data are plausible after the correction has taken place, then the plausibility of the lower-ranking data is checked. If, for example, address data blocks of the structure 1.“State”, 2.“Zip Code/City”, 3.“Street”, 4.“House Number/Intersection” are supplied to the navigation system, the plausibility check can take place such that first the plausibility of the contents of the here higher-ranking data field “State” is checked; then the plausibility of the contents of the data field “Zip Code/City” is checked; then the plausibility of the contents of the data field “Street” is checked; and only then the plausibility of the data field “House Number/Intersection” is checked.
If the computational capacity of the navigation system is sufficient, naturally a plausibility check of lower-ranking input data may also already be taking place before the higher-ranking input data have been corrected by the user. However, no reliable restriction of the comparison data can then take place with respect to those comparison data which can be assigned to the already checked higher-ranking data. The plausibility check of the lower-ranking data can, however, take place, for example, on the basis of similarities of the higher-ranking input data to certain comparison data or relative to all suitable comparison data of the databank.
During the prompt to correct the input data emitted according to the invention, it is preferably signaled to the user on which level the plausibility check had a negative result and a correction is required. The user is thereby permitted to carry out a targeted correction of the input data at the corresponding level, and the user does not have to input unnecessary corrections in the case of already previously plausible input data or again check (or confirm already successfully validated input data).
The free-text inputs in the address book of a mobile device, which, according to the invention, are supplied as input data to the navigation system, frequently deviate only minimally from the comparison data of the databank of the navigation system. Such slight deviations may result from typing mistakes or a slightly deviated spelling. Because of the frequency of such slight deviations, the correction mechanism provided according to the invention is preferably constructed such that the user essentially has to correct only the deviations of the input data from the comparison patterns of the databank.
During the prompt for correcting the input data emitted according to the invention, it is preferably signaled to the user precisely which deviations exist with respect to one or more of the comparison patterns similar to the input data. The deviations are marked for this purpose. This can, for example, take place in that individual letters, in which the input data deviate from an otherwise similar pattern, are visually stressed, for example, have a colored backing or are shown in a special font. The user can then check the input data in a targeted manner at the deviation points and can, as required, correct only the deviations. The user's correction expenditures are therefore particularly low.
In the case of correction mechanisms which are based on the fact that the user can input new characters at a location marked by a cursor, the targeted correction can be made easier for the user in that the cursor is placed at a deviating character.
The user may also be given the opportunity of selecting that comparison pattern (depending on the input mechanism, for example, by scrolling or touching), which in fact is to be imported into the navigation system from several comparison patterns that are similar to the deviating input data.
As an alternative or in addition to the present invention, an increase of the tolerance of the plausibility check can also be considered. Small deviations will then not necessarily result in a negative plausibility check. Only clear deviations require a correction. However, an excessively high tolerance is frequently undesirable because an increasing tolerance will raise the danger of misinterpretations.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.